Stubble Burning: Farm fires down by 56% in Punjab, but Delhi continues to feel the impact
Follow our LIVE coverage here According to a numerical model-based system developed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, stubble burning contributed to 25 percent of the PM2.5 pollution in Delhi on November 2, with expectations of this figure rising to 35 percent on November 3, as per PTI. The Centre's Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) reported a substantial decrease in stubble-burning incidents in Punjab and Haryana between September 15 to October 29.
It saw a reduction of around 56 percent and 40 percent, respectively, compared to the same period last year. However, despite this reduction, these agrarian states have experienced a notable increase in farm fires in the last few days, with 1,852 incidents on October 30; 2,901 on October 31; and 2,386 on November 1.
Also Read: Top 10 most polluted cities in India: Delhi on top, northern cities battling haze fill list An official from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in Delhi cited an increase in paddy production in Punjab and Haryana this year due to the lack of cloud cover, resulting in an abundance of paddy straw. The cumulative number of farm fires in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, and NCR areas of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh has reduced from 13,964 in 2022 to 6,391 in 2023, according to CAQM.
In the same period in 2021, there were 11,461 stubble-burning cases. Punjab reported 5,254 stubble-burning incidents during this 45-day period this year, a significant reduction from 12,112 in 2022 and 9,001 in 2021, representing a decrease of 56.6 percent and 41.6 percent, respectively.
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